EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Multicellular organisms begin to become common in fossil record of Neoproterozoic Fossils found on every continent Fossils are impressions of soft bodied organisms Metazoans are multicellular organisms the possess more than one kind of cell and cells are organized into organs and tissue.

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna – Rawnsley Quartzite – 630-570 myBP first found in Ediacara Hills of Australia

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna Cyclomedusa Jellyfish?

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna Dickinsonia Flatworms or annelids

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna Spriggina sp.

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna Charniodiscus Sea pen or soft coral?

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna Kimberella sp. Mollusc?

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna Parvancorina Prototrilobite?

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna Parvincorina to Trilobite?

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Ediacaran Fauna

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Organisms with Skeletons - Proterozoic Cloudina Tube (CaCO3)-dwelling worm?

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Advent of the Metazoans Other Proterozoic Advances Metazoan embryos (~570 myBP) Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation, China

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells Organisms with Skeletons – Paleozoic Tommotian Fauna Found in Siberia Small shelly fossils Shells are phosphatic Primarily molluscs and sponges

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells Organisms with Skeletons – Paleozoic

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Mt. Wapta, near Field, BC

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Part of the Cambrian Stephen Formation Mt. Wapta, near Field, BC First studied by Charles D. Walcott beg. 1909 Secretary of Smithsonian Institution Later studied by Harry B. Whittington in 1960s Geological Survey of Canada Preserved as carbonized remains Many soft parts preserved

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Walcott Whittington

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Extraordinary assemblage of fossils Four major groups of arthropods trilobites, crustaceans, scorpions, insects Sponges Molluscs Onycophorans Crinoids Three phyla of worms Corals Chordates Organisms that defy classification!

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Vauxia (sponge)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Olenoides (trilobite)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Sidneyia (arthropod)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Waptia (arthropod)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Opabinia (arthropod)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Haplophrentis (gastropod)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Wiwaxia (mollusc?)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals without Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Aysheaia (onycophoran or velvet worm)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals without Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Hallucigenia (?)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals Related to US! THE BURGESS SHALE Pikaia (Chordata) Notochord and V-shaped muscles

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Canadaspis (crustacean)

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals With Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Anomalocaris (crustacean) 60 cm long

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals With Shells THE BURGESS SHALE Marrella (crustacean) most common Burgess Shale fossil

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals with Shells THE BURGESS SHALE

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Animals With Shells CHENGJIANG FAUNA

EARLY PALEOZOIC LIFE Lagerstätten Lagerstätten [meaning "(fossil) deposit places" in German] are geological fossil deposits that are rich with varied, well-preserved fossils, representing a wide variety of life from a particular era. These spectacular fossil deposits represent an amazing "snapshot" in time. Ediacaran, Burgess and Chengjiang deposits are good examples.